President Abraham Lincoln is quoted as once saying  "“Books serve to show a man that those original thoughts of his aren’t very new after all.”  An earlier President, Thomas Jefferson, said that he couldn't live without books.  If you love books you are in some pretty good company and a new study shows you are probably pretty nice in the process

A new study from Kingston University looked at personality traits and the effects of reading versus watching television.

Participants were tested on things such as how much they considered the feelings of others and whether they acted to help others. Sorry boob-tube junkies but I think we can see where this one is headed.

The results showed that people who preferred reading fiction showed more positive social behaviors, and were more empathetic.Those who preferred watching TV came across as less friendly and less understanding of others' views.

Researchers suggest this could be because reading books allows people to see things from other people's perspectives which makes them better at understanding others.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4477786/People-read-books-NICER.html

 

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